The present invention generally relates to packages, particularly to packages formed from a blank of a single layer of material, and specifically to collapsible, tubular packages including nonlinear fold lines.
In the marketing of many types of products such as breakfast cereals, the packaging itself plays an important part in the product merchandising. In addition to the printed material appearing thereon, the shape of the package can play a major role in attracting the attention of the consumer towards the product and hopefully resulting in the purchase thereof. Specifically, most products are marketed in packages of rectangular parallelepiped shapes. Thus, packages having shapes different from standard rectangular parallelepiped shapes will have a tendency to attract the consumer's attention. However, it is desired to have the non-standard shaped packages be able to be displayed in the same areas as packages of standard shapes would be displayed in both their ability to be stacked in columns and rows in the display area as well as their ability to be stacked vertically in the display area.
One type of non-standard shaped packages are packages of other than rectangular parallelepiped shapes. For example, one type of package of non-standard shape that has gained some market acceptance are those including a gable-shaped top such as those shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,230,463. Although packages including gable-shaped tops generally can be displayed in the same areas as packages of standard designs would be displayed, additional effort is required in the production and distribution of gable-shaped top packages. Another example of packages of non-standard shape are packages of other than parallelepiped shapes. However, as special handling and equipment are required for these types of packaging, market acceptance of such packages has been limited. To take advantage of the uniqueness of packages of non-parallelepiped shapes but to reduce the problems associated therewith, the liquor industry for Christmas gift packaging has utilized cartons having square tops and bottoms but including five face panels formed by first and second diverging fold lines at one of the corners which created the fifth, football-shaped, panel.
Thus, a need exists for a package of a non-standard shape tending to attract the consumer's attention and which is formed from a blank of a single layer of material in a collapsible, tubular configuration which is acceptable to production, distribution, and marketing generally without extra effort and/or expense.